Millionaires’ Shortbread

Millionaires’ shortbread seems to be a staple coffee shop sweet treat, and it’s certainly a tempting one with its crumbly shortbread base, gooey caramel and dark chocolate. I understand its roots are Australian and it’s been around since the 1970s at least. I thought it was about time to make a dairy free version. These caramel squares worked superbly well using oat cream and dairy-free spread rather than the usual dairy ingredients.

This is a good traybake shortbread to have in your repertoire as it’s good for sharing, easily cut into squares for packed lunches or picnics and keeps well.

– Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4
– Line a 9 inch square baking dish with parchment
– Stir the sugar into the flour
– Rub in the spread and vanilla until the dough comes together into a crumbly mass
– Press the dough into the baking dish
– Bake for about 20 minutes until the shortbread starts to turn golden at the edges.
– Meanwhile, make the caramel
– In a saucepan, melt together the sugars, syrup and cream
– Stir in the spread, then bring to a bubbling simmer
– Simmer until the caramel is almost hard ball stage (drop a drizzle into a bowl of cold water and if the caramel forms a squishy ball when pressed together its ready)
– Pour over the shortbread and leave to cool
– Once set, melt the chocolate I a microwave or over a Bain Marie. Spread over the cooled caramel layer and leave to set. If desired sprinkle the chocolate with flakes of fleur de sel for a salted caramel effect.
– Cut into small bars

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lucylox

Welcome. I'm a Cordon Bleu trained chef and mother with a passion for cooking vegetarian food. All recipes featured here are dairy, egg, and nut-free, thus 'accidentally' vegan, as my children are allergic to those. My aim is to recreate any dish, even what seems impossible, but free of the ingredients we can't have, and log my exploits here. Please browse what is now several hundred recipes.
All the recipes posted (unless stated) are my own creations.
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HI Lucy! I have a batch of these sitting in my fridge, cooling as we speak. Minus a corner of course because I simply couldn’t wait to try it. It’s amazing! And you would never know it’s vegan. I used coconut cream in the caramel which added a yummy coconut tinge. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!

Lucy these look amazing!
Spread is in the directions twice for the caramel; ‘In a saucepan, melt together the spread, syrup and cream
– Stir in the spread, then bring to a bubbling simmer’…I assume one of them should be sugar?? 😀

Yes – we call them caramel slices here. Base is coconut/flour/butter, then condensed milk, syrup and brown sugar, then melted chocolate. not healthy! Yours look the same – and because they’re healthier you can have more than one!!

Welcome. I'm a Cordon Bleu trained chef and mother with a passion for cooking vegetarian food. All recipes featured here are dairy, egg, and nut-free, thus 'accidentally' vegan, as my children are allergic to those. My aim is to recreate any dish, even what seems impossible, but free of the ingredients we can't have, and log my exploits here. Please browse what is now several hundred recipes.
All the recipes posted (unless stated) are my own creations.